I am so happy that I am not alone right now. It is such a relief that I have my mother only ten minutes away. I know she will come as soon as I call and she will have all the answers to my stressed-out-no-sleep-baby-questions.

Some Gratitude

I have a wonderful life. I have parents who are kind and patient. They love me and my husband. They like to spend time with us and are so easy going that seeing them, staying with them, being with them is easy and enjoyable. I love seeing the way Todd treats my mom. Sometimes he snuggles her more than I do. It is really important to me that the people who I love most get along and they don't even just tolerate one another, but they love each other. I love knowing that I can sleep, or go to work for 10 hours and Todd will be happy spending time with Riley, or Chase, or Dad or Mom. I love having such a thoughtful and strong group of loved ones around me, especially when this tiny child is coming so soon. I know I will have people to cry to, to depend upon, and who will understand, love and help me.

Christmas Concert Critics

My mother is an elementary school music teacher. I went with her to the middle and high schools' Christmas Choir Concert. She taught nearly all of the kids in those choirs. She knows their names, their families, and their stories. When the seventh grade choir was singing these three people behind me kept talking about how awful they sounded and how it was the worst thing they had ever heard.

I had a few things to say to them. First of all, they are in seventh grade - give them a break. Secondly, one girl is blind and cannot see the conductor's cues, one boy has down syndrome, one boy was severely physically handicapped, and another boy was autistic and clearly had stage anxiety. Thirdly, they were singing so loudly and having such a good time. You could see how much fun they were having! The boy with down syndrome would conduct and yell the words when he was excited. They were so much fun to watch.

It was, in fact, touching to experience their excitement about the Christmas season and their passion for singing. It was touching to feel my mother's love for those children she has taught and seen grow. I wish I would have turned around and said those things, but I sat and enjoyed those little voices instead.